The destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina devastated homes and families, yet Democrats have blocked the approval of emergency early voting sites in the predominantly Republican area. This inaction prompted the GOP-led state legislature to step in.
In McDowell and Henderson counties, both led by Democrat-controlled local elections boards, requests for additional early voting sites in the disaster-hit region were denied, despite rising calls for expanded voting access. Both counties supported Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
In deep-blue Buncombe County, home to Asheville, Democrats have already approved additional voting locations to replace those damaged by Hurricane Helene, bringing the total to ten.
Despite the reduced media coverage, destruction in western North Carolina remains severe, and the area is still far from recovery.
Now, Republican lawmakers in the state’s General Assembly are pressing the two counties to open more voting sites to ensure that residents affected by Helene aren’t disenfranchised.
The new law requires counties in the Helene-affected region to have one early voting site per 30,000 registered voters, open from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3. Henderson County, which has the second-largest population in western North Carolina after Buncombe, currently has only one site for its 120,000 residents. Under normal conditions, it would have three sites, and this legislation will now mandate the opening of three more, bringing the total to four. Although Henderson County’s Board of Elections approved a second site, it will only operate for two days in late October.
Republican State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, who represents Henderson, mentioned that voters from both parties in her district have expressed concerns about the limited voting access.
In McDowell County, with a population of 45,000, only one location is available. The legislation will require the county to open at least one more site. Previously, the county’s elections board had declined a request from Republican Party Chairman Chet Effler to open an additional early voting site at Old Fort Depot.
“With the [Old Fort Depot] site closed, it’s now a 13-mile drive to the next voting site, not counting the hindrances people face from the flooding in their area,” he added. “That may not seem like a long way, but it is when you’ve lost everything, and you’re trying to put your life back together.”
According to The McDowell News, “McDowell Technical Community College officials offered the Universal Advanced Manufacturing Center as a second early voting location.” However, Democratic board member Kay House expressed concerns, noting that the location hadn’t been used for voting before, and the change might disrupt election staff. Despite this, the building is set to serve as an Election Day precinct. After the General Assembly passed a law mandating an additional early voting site, all board members agreed to add another location at Old Fort Depot.
Blocking new voting sites in disaster-stricken areas remains puzzling, especially as both the Democrat-led State Board of Elections and the legislature have simplified the process for local boards to open emergency voting locations. The State Board did not respond to a request for comment from The Federalist.
The decision by some Democrats to restrict voting access so close to the election, particularly in Republican-leaning areas hit by disaster, reinforces concerns that state and federal Democrats may be delaying relief efforts to limit voter turnout.
According to The Federalist, the counties under the emergency declaration for Hurricane Helene contributed a net 247,217 votes for Trump in 2020. Trump won the state by roughly 75,000 votes.
